A shutdown no one expected has finally ended. The Kookmin University (KMU) Fall Festival you dream of! “Palette: to Color” will fill you with hope, energy, and romance.

 
 This was the introduction to KMU's 2022 KMU fall festival. It was the first large-scale festival this year under the student council emergency committee. It was held from Sep. 27 to 29. The Kookmin Review interviewed international students who participated in the festival. The following are edited excerpts from the interviews.

<Marta>
Q. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea and at KMU? 
A. I’m from Spain. I came to Korea on Aug. 26, so I have only been here for a month. It’s the first time I have been to Korea and KMU, but I really like it.
Q. What do you think of the Fall festival?
A. I think it’s a good way to meet new people. For foreigners, it’s good to learn about the music culture here and learn new ways of having fun.
Q. Have you been to other festivals in Korea or your country? What is the difference between this festival and others you've been to?
A. I haven’t been to other festivals in Korea since I only came here a month ago, but I will go to more. I have been to some festivals held by my Spanish university, and I think in Spain, 
the festivals are so different. People aren’t as careful as they are here and they go wilder, but I always have a good time. I also think that for foreigners this type of event is a great opportunity to meet new people

<Laura>
Q. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea and at KMU? 
A. I’m from the United States. I have been in Korea for about a month and at KMU since the start of the fall semester.
Q. What do you think of the Fall festival?
A. This festival is really cool! I love that they have different Korean artists to come perform for us. 
Q. Have you been to other festivals in Korea or your country? What is the difference between this festival and others you've been to?
A. I have been to a few festivals in the United States, but I’ve never been to one hosted just for my school. I love that this is on campus and for KMU students. It seems like the festival I had at the U.S. university, but the difference is that the KMU festival is well managed. The committee got it under control. Also, back in America, while my university had school-staffed food trucks, KMU has external food trucks. I’m surprised how they invited all the artists and food trucks. 

Students from the Republic of Kazakhstan and Russia
Q. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea and at KMU? 
K: Hi. I’m from the Republic of Kazakhstan and I’ve been in Korea for two weeks.
R: I’m from Russia and I came to Korea a year ago. We’re majoring in a foundation course.
Q. What do you think of the Fall festival?
K: I think it is an incredible experience because we don't have any festivals like this back in my hometown. It's my first time at this kind of festival.
R: I also think it's a good experience. We also looked at the food trucks. We enjoyed Korean food from the food trucks and had sausages and rice cakes.
Q. Have you been to other festivals in Korea or your country? Or is this your first time?
K: I've been to another festival like this in Korea. I went to the Hanyang university festival.

<Veronica>
Q. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea and at KMU? 
A. I’m from Russia and I came to Korea in 2020. I’m currently in my third semester and majoring in Painting at the School of Fine Arts. 
Q. What do you think of the Fall festival?
A. This is an experience for me to feel that I belong to a community and enjoy the vibe of Korea without worrying about COVID-19. Since I used to live in Nonsan, it was hard for me to enjoy my life, but now I really like enjoying Seoul.
Q. Have you been to other festivals in Korea or your country? Or is this your first time?
A. I’ve been to concerts but haven’t been to any festivals like this. So, the KMU fall festival is my first.

<Viktoriya>
Q. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea and at KMU? 
A. I stayed in Korea for a year and I’m from the Republic of Bulgaria. I’m majoring in computer science.
Q. What do you think of the fall festival?
A. I’m so happy to be at the KMU fall festival because last year, there wasn’t because of COVID-19.
Q. Have you been to other festivals in Korea or your country? Or is this your first time?
A. I’ve only been to a BTS concert and there are no festivals like this in my country. I think this is a good opportunity for the students to release stress.

<Maria>
Q. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea and at KMU?
A. I’m from Brazil, It’s been 5 months that I’m living in South Korea and this is my second semester in KMU.
Q. What do you think of the fall festival?
A. It is my first time attending to a festival in Korea and I’m really enjoying it! The food trucks are amazing!! And many of my friends are really excited for the singers, MAMAMOO, performance tonight!! 
Q. Have you been to other festivals in Korea or your country? What is the difference between this festival and others you've been to?
A. Yes! I've been to some university festivals in Brazil but in Korea this is my first time! I believe festivals in Brazil are very similar to those in Korea! Usually, we have some singers performance and also there are several stand’s from the university itself and from people who want to sell something nice! Another interesting point is that in Brazilian festivals we do several games with prizes for the winner!! Also, each major has its own color so people who belong to each major sometimes colored their bodies and faces according to the color of their major!

<Pauline>
Q. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea and at KMU?
A. My Name is Pauline and I am from Germany. I arrived at Korea on Aug. 30th. My first time on campus was one day later when we had the Orientation Day for foreign students.
Q. What do you think of the fall festival? 
A. I am impressed how much effort was put into the campus festival. I love that so many students take part in it and that I learnt about some of the clubs. What I loved about this festival is that everyone was so excited about the K-pop bands.
Q. Have you been to other festivals in Korea or your country? What is the difference between this festival and others you've been to?
A. I’ve been to a couple of festivals in Germany, but they aren't comparable to a campus festival. German campus festivals are mainly about music, food, and drinks. There is usually a line-up with different DJs, bands, and artists. The biggest difference is that you need to buy a ticket to go to the festival. The number of tickets is also limited.

<Anna>
Q. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea and at KMU?
A. My name is Anna and I am from Germany. I am in Korea since end of August and at KMU since the beginning of this Semester. 
Q. What do you think of the fall festival? 
A. It was really overwhelming and impressive, there is so much going on and you can see that a lot of time and effort went into planning the festival. I really enjoyed seeing everyone having a good time at the festival. 
Q. Have you been to other festivals in Korea or your country? What is the difference between this festival and others you've been to?
A. I haven’t been to campus festivals in Germany, but I have been to normal festivals. I think one difference is that most of the time, you have to buy tickets to go there while therwwe is just a certain number of tickets. The biggest difference is that in German festivals, you go there to have food and some drinks (most of the times alcoholic) and just listen to DJs and other artists.

 The fall festival hasn’t been held in three years, so many students were able to solidify their relationships. Through several events, from gaming booths to clubs and celebrity performances, the festival was an opportunity for all KMU students — especially international students — to forge positive memories. Through the fall festival, we can expect that KMU will be able to restore its status and promote its reputation again in the future.

Yoon Sang-Jung 

Editor-in-chief

ann8959@kookmin.ac.kr